INVITATION FOR SUBMISSION OF PROJECTS CIVIL SOCIETY INITIATIVE SCHEME (CSIS) SUPPORT TO PUBLIC EMPOWERMENT : CIVIL SOCIETY INITIATIVES TO BENEFIT COMMUNITIES IN /GNJILANE AND REGIONS NO. 01/2011

PRISHTINË /P RI ŠTINA ,

December 2011 INVITATION FOR SUBMISSION OF PROJECTS NO. 01/2011

CIVIL SOCIETY INITIATIVE SCHEME (CSIS) SUPPORT TO PUBLIC EMPOWERMENT : CIVIL SOCIETY INITIATIVES TO BENEFIT COMMUNITIES IN GJILAN /GNJILANE AND PRIZREN REGIONS The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Mission in Kosovo (hereinafter called “the OSCE Mission in Kosovo”) invites applications for the purposes of promoting civil society initiatives addressing public empowerment in Gjilan/Gnjilane and Prizren regions.

Civil Society Initiative Scheme (CSIS) support to public empowerment programme will provide funding with a maximum value of 7,000 EUR to civil society actors in Gjilan/Gnjilane and Prizren regions for projects that address one of the following areas:

1. Empowerment of vulnerable groups; 2. Strengthening public participation; and 3. Improving access to municipal services.

A complete set of documents in English, Albanian and Serbian may be obtained at the OSCE web site ( http://www.osce.org/kosovo ) under Events.

Applications must be delivered in ENGLISH on or before 20 Jan 2012, 12:00 hrs in a sealed envelope marked with “ No. OMIK 1/2011 – Project Application for CSIS - Do Not Open Before 20 January 2012”

Applications sent by e-mail and fax will not be accepted. Project applications must be delivered at one of the following addresses: OSCE Mission in Kosovo OSCE Regional Center OSCE Regional Center Prishtinë/Priština Gjilan/Gnjilane Prizren

Abdyl Frashëri, nr. 37 AKTASH Rr. Idriz Seferi PN Rr. Tirana PN 10000 Prishtinë/Priština, 60000 Gjilan/Gnjilane 20000 Prizren Kosovo Kosovo Kosovo

For further information please contact Ms. Aferdita Pustina, Democratization Department, OSCE Mission in Kosovo, at [email protected]

1 Table of Contents

1. CSIS PROGRAMME OUTLINE ...... 3 1.1. Launching of the CSIS Initiative by OSCE Mission in Kosovo...... 3 1.2. Civil Society Initiative Scheme (CSIS) – Kosovo ...... 3 2. THEMATIC AREAS ...... 4 2.1. Priority Themes...... 4 3. ELIGIBILITY...... 5 3.1. Civil Society Organizations Eligible for Application ...... 5 3.2. Eligible Projects ...... 5 4. APPLICATION PROCEDURE...... 6 4.1. Application...... 6 4.2. Submission of Projects ...... 6 4.3. Deadline for receipt of applications ...... 7 4.4. Technical Assistance to Preparation of Projects ...... 7 5. EVALUATION AND SELECTION OF PROJECTS ...... 7 5.1. Step 1: Opening Session and Administrative Check...... 7 5.2. Step 2: Evaluation by the CSIS Selection Committee...... 8 5.3. Step 3: Selection/Endorsement ...... 9 6. APPLICATION CHECKLIST ...... 9

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1. CSIS PROGRAMME OUTLINE

1.1. Launching of the CSIS Initiative by OSCE Mission in Kosovo Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Kosovo, the largest OSCE field operation deals, inter alia, with human rights, democracy and public safety. Through its Democratization Department, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo supports further development of a viable and accountable democracy in Kosovo. It focuses on monitoring the work of the Kosovo institutions, identifying shortcomings and advising on how to overcome them. It provides these institutions with on-site coaching and mentoring and facilitates the exchange of best practices and peer-to-peer capacity building. Additionally, the Democratization Department supports local government reform in Kosovo by facilitating dialogue between central and local governments, providing capacity building to municipalities and by increasing public participation in the municipal decision-making process. As a part of the Democratization Department, the Local Governance Section (LGS) supports municipalities in increasing public participation in decision making by encouraging the establishment of new mechanisms and by improving existing ones, such as consultative committees, sub-municipal representative bodies, women’s caucuses, and youth action councils. Through municipal, regional and Kosovo-wide projects, the LGS aims to raise public awareness about these mechanisms and to support municipal outreach activities. The LGS works to enhance municipal dialogue with residents and to increase their opportunities to influence policy making. OSCE Mission’s Regional Centers throughout Kosovo and the LGS jointly focus on supporting civil society involvement in municipal decision making, particularly of women, youth, and non-Albanian communities. In this respect the OSCE Mission in Kosovo has developed the Civil Society Initiative Scheme (CSIS) to support public empowerment in selected municipalities of Gjilan/Gnjilane and Prizren regions 1. The overall objective of CSIS is to support civil society in creating and implementing advocacy projects for government services and to encourage co-operation with municipalities in Prizren and Gjilan/Gnjilane regions. The purpose of the project is to address the need to increase civil society influence on public policy/decision-making in Kosovo, with the ultimate aim of increasing co-operation between civil society and municipalities, as well as to increase networking among civil society actors. In line with these basic means of attaining its overall objective, the target outputs of CSIS are identified as follows:

• Increasing co-operation between the public and municipal institutions in decision making in Prizren and Gjilan/Gnjilane regions for the benefit of all communities. • Encouraging engagement of women and vulnerable social groups in co-operation with municipalities for better service delivery.

1.2. Civil Society Initiative Scheme (CSIS) – Kosovo The OSCE Mission in Kosovo started the implementation of the CSIS programme in May 2011 with funding from the United States Mission to the OSCE.

1 Prizren region municipalities : Mamusa / Mamushë / Mamuša, Suharekë / Suva Reka, Malishevë / Mališevo, Rahovec / Orahovac, Dragash / Dragaš, Shtimje / Stimlje Gjilan/Gnjilane region municipalities : Gjilan / Gnjilane, Novobërdë / Novo Brdo, Parteš / Partesh, Hani I Elezit / Deneral Jankovic, Kacanik / Kacanik, Kamenicë / Kamenica, Viti / Vitina, Štrpce / Shtërpcë, / Urosevac, Klokot / Kllokot, Ranilug/Ranillug

3 CSIS Kosovo provides funding to civil society activities that address the priority themes as listed below. The maximum value of funding to be provided under CSIS Kosovo is 7,000 EUR per project.

The CSIS Selection Committee was established as a participatory mechanism for project scheme definition and the project selection process. Currently, the Selection Committee is comprised of representatives from Swiss Kosovo Local Governance and Decentralization Support Project (LOGOS); German Development Cooperation (GIZ); Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKM) and OSCE Mission in Kosovo.

1.3 Programme Timeframe The provisional timeline of activities under the CSIS Kosovo programme is summarized below: Activities Date Deadline for submission of applications Friday, 20 January 2012, 12:00 Selection of projects January 2012 Commencement of project implementation February 2012

2. THEMATIC AREAS

2.1. Priority Themes Each project to be submitted under the (CSIS) should specifically target one of the priority themes in relation to the involvement of the communities in municipal decision making: • Priority Theme 1: Empowerment of vulnerable groups (Youth, women, persons with disabilities, communities) • Priority Theme 2: Strengthening public participation (Transparency in municipal decision making, public information and outreach) • Priority Theme 3: Improving access to municipal services (Education, health, civil registration, etc.)

4 3. ELIGIBILITY

3.1. Civil Society Organizations Eligible for Application Civil society organisations (CSOs) located and operating in Gjilan/Gnjilane and Prizren regions 2 are the primary target beneficiaries. Therefore only those CSOs are eligible to apply for the CSIS funding. CSIS is open to applications from CSOs both formal and informal (registered and non- registered), however the selection of the project assumes that winning applicants will, if required, register as NGOs with the Ministry of Public Administration which will enable the OSCE to treat the winning civil society member as an implementing partner.

3.2. Eligible Projects The CSIS is open to project applications within the following context: • The application should be made by CSOs located and operating in the Gjilan/Gnjilane and Prizren regions; • A project application can be submitted by a partnership of CSOs. In case the project partners include institutions that do not have NGO status, the lead/signatory institution will have to be registered as an NGO; • The project needs to serve community interests in the following municipalities: PRIZREN REGION GJILAN/GNJILANE REGION

Prizren Novobërdë / Novo Brdo Mamusa / Mamushë / Mamuša Parteš / Partesh Dragash / Dragaš Kamenicë / Kamenica Rahovec/Orahovac Štrpce / Shtërpcë Klokot/Kllokot Ranilug/Ranillug

• The issue to be addressed by the project should be linked to only one of the priority themes identified in Section 2.1 (Projects should specifically focus on a single priority topic , and should not attempt to cover multiple topics at once); • The project should adequately mainstream youth and gender issues under the targeted priority theme; • In line with the principles endorsed by the CSIS Selection Committee, there will be no limitations with regard to the number of project applications that any eligible CSO may submit under CSIS. However, regardless of the number of project applications submitted, each eligible CSO shall be entitled to receive funding (if selected) for only one specific project in CSIS; • The project should not duplicate other ongoing efforts. In particular, the same project cannot be supported by several organisations. • The project application must be submitted in the English language.

2 Prizren region municipalities : Mamusa / Mamushë / Mamuša, Suharekë / Suva Reka, Malishevë / Mališevo, Rahovec / Orahovac, Dragash / Dragaš, Shtimje / Stimlje Gjilan/Gnjilane region municipalities : Gjilan / Gnjilane, Novobërdë / Novo Brdo, Parteš / Partesh, Hani i Elezit / Deneral Jankovic, Kacanik / Kacanik, Kamenicë / Kamenica, Viti / Vitina, Štrpce / Shtërpcë, Ferizaj / Urosevac, Klokot/Kllokot, Ranilug/Ranillug 5 • The requested funding under the project application should not exceed 7,000 EUR and the implementation period should not exceed a maximum of 6 months, starting from February 2012.

4. APPLICATION PROCEDURE

4.1. Application To respond to the Invitation for Submission of Projects, interested CSOs must submit Projects using the Annex I: Project Application and Budget Format . Projects must be submitted in the English language. The OSCE Mission in Kosovo will not translate projects submitted in other languages. Applicants must strictly comply with the layout of Annex I: Project Application and Budget Format and fill in the form as explained in the template. Projects should not exceed ten (10) pages. Projects should be formulated carefully and the respective templates should be completed as clearly as possible, so that the received project can be assessed. The received application and the related material should be precise and provide enough detail to ensure the clarity of the project. The applicant should view (not submit) and be informed about the Form of Agreement and Certificate of Compliance , which will eventually be signed between the OSCE and the selected applicants. The applicants must submit the following supporting documents :

 A copy of their NGO Registration Certificate, if available;  A list of all key management personnel;  CVs for the proposed project staff;  Written agreement or protocol in case the project is proposed by more than one CSO in partnership.

4.2. Submission of Projects

The complete application package containing the Project Application and Budget Format . and the supporting documents must be submitted in a sealed envelope marked with “No. OMIK 1/2011 – Project Application for CSIS - Do Not Open Before 20 January 2012”

Project applications must be delivered at any of the following addresses: OSCE Mission in Kosovo OSCE Regional Center OSCE Regional Center

Abdyl Frashëri, nr. 37 Rr. Idriz Seferi PN Rr. Tirana PN AKTASH 60000 Gjilan/Gnjilane 20000 Prizren 10000 Prishtinë/Priština, Kosovo Kosovo Kosovo

The project application must bear the full name and address of the applicant. It is in the applicant’s interest to provide the OSCE Mission in Kosovo with accurate contact details such as postal address, telephone number and e-mail address. Applications should be submitted by hand-delivery. Applications sent by facsimile or e-mail will not be accepted. 6 4.3. Deadline for receipt of applications Projects must be delivered to one of the addresses indicated prior to 12:00 on 20 January 2012. Applications received after this deadline will automatically be rejected.

4.4. Technical Assistance to Preparation of Projects As part of the capacity building framework of the CSIS, project management training was held in Gjilan/Gnjilane and Prizren regions for the civil society actors, giving guidance on how to prepare the projects. Additional guidance shall be provided to the participating CSOs during the application period regarding the Invitation for Submission of Projects if required/requested. However, such guidance and assistance should by no means be interpreted as an assurance of any kind for the selection of the respective project. For any questions, guidance or technical assistance related to CSIS, please contact Ms. Aferdita Pustina, Local Governance Section, Democratization Department, OSCE Mission in Kosovo, at [email protected] before the deadline for applications.

5. EVALUATION AND SELECTION OF PROJECTS

There are no limitations with regard to the number of projects that any eligible CSO may submit under CSIS. However, regardless of the number of projects submitted, each eligible CSO shall be entitled to receive funding (if selected) for only one specific project in CSIS.

The submitted applications will be assessed according to the following steps and criteria:

5.1. Step 1: Opening Session and Administrative Check

Prior to their evaluation, the applications will be screened by the CSIS Selection Committee for their compliance with the eligibility requirements.

Applications which do not meet the criteria set out in section 3 will be automatically rejected.

The application will also be immediately rejected if:  the application is received after the closing date;  the project is not submitted using the Project Application Format contained in Annex I;  the project budget is not submitted in the Budget Format contained in Annex I;  the project is not submitted in English.

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5.2. Step 2: Evaluation by the CSIS Selection Committee Eligible projects will be submitted to the CSIS Selection Committee for evaluation. Evaluation of projects by the CSIS Selection Committee will be carried out in accordance with the scoring factors set out in the Evaluation Matrix below: Scoring Factors Overall Score 1. Relevance of the project 1.1 Has the target group been clearly identified and described? 1.2 Does the project provide a sound description of the community’s involvement in municipal decisions? 1.3 Does the project mainstream youth and gender? 30 1.4 Does the project coordinate with other initiatives and ongoing projects? 1.5 Does the project introduce a creative solution to the identified issues? 1.6 Has the applicant attempted to contact the municipality and attract in kind contribution? 2. Project Implementation and Methodology 2.1 Does the project project provide a clear description of what the project will do to produce the expected outputs and achieve the project objectives? 2.2 Are the proposed activities appropriate and realistic in terms of the timeframe? 20 2.3 Are the proposed activities practical and consistent with the goal and expected results? 2.4 Does the project contain objectively verifiable indicators for the outcomes of the activities? 3. Project budget 3.1 Are the proposed expenditures consistent with project? 3.2 Are the proposed expenditures necessary for the implementation of the project 20 activities? 3.3 Are the proposed expenditures detailed and transparent? 3.4 Are the proposed expenditures realistic? 4. Operational capacities of the Applicant 4.1 Does the applicant have sufficient experience in project management?

4.2 Does the applicant have sufficient operational capacity in staff and equipment? 20 4.3 Does the applicant have sufficient ability to handle the budget for the action and run the project? 4.4 Does the applicant have relevant background and experience with the technical and substantive aspects of the proposed project? 5. Sustainability 5.1 Are there adequate means and mechanisms introduced to ensure the sustainability 10 of the project subsequent to the termination of the CSIS funding? 5.2 Does the project foresee any type of capacity building? Total Score 100

The evaluation criteria will be scored on a weighted scale of 1 to 5 (1 = very poor; 2 = poor; 3 = adequate; 4 = good; 5 = very good).

8 Costs incurred for the preparation of the application will not be covered by the funding and should not be included in the budget.

5.3. Step 3: Selection/Endorsement Based upon its evaluation and discussion, the Selection Committee will decide to eliminate or endorse, as appropriate, the submitted project applications. In relation to the projects selected/endorsed by the Committee, the following alternative paths will be followed: (1) The Selection Committee will finalize its decision to fund the selected projects; or (2) the Selection Committee will only provisionally select the project, subject to its reformulation for further improving its content and remedying the identified deficiencies. In the latter case, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo will notify the potential CSOs of the Committee’s request and provide them with appropriate guidance for the reformulation of the project within the specified deadline. Regardless of the extent to which the deficiencies are remedied, only one request for reformulation will be sent, and the Selection Committee will make its final decision on the basis of the reformulated project application as to select or eliminate the project(s), as appropriate. The results of the selection will be announced only after the final selection of projects.

6. APPLICATION CHECKLIST Prior to sending the Application, ensure that you have all the needed documentation:

 Stamped (if available) project application and budget;  Copy of Registration Certificate(if available);  A list of all key management personnel;  CVs for proposed project staff;  Written agreement or protocol in case the project is proposed by more than one CSO in partnership.

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